A Profile of Nonresident Travelers through Missoula: Winter 1993

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1 University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research A Profile of Nonresident Travelers through : Winter 1993 Justin Harris The University of Montana- Nancy Lee Menning The University of Montana- Neal A. Christensen The University of Montana- Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Leisure Studies Commons, Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Commons, and the Tourism and Travel Commons Recommended Citation Harris, Justin; Menning, Nancy Lee; and Christensen, Neal A., "A Profile of Nonresident Travelers through : Winter 1993" (1994). Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact scholarworks@mso.umt.edu.

2 Montana Institute v f o t l o u r l s m and lecreatlpn lesearch A Profile of Non-Resident Travelers Through ; Winter 1993 Research Note 19 - June 1994 About the Report This report describes seasonal non-resident travel characteristics and patterns of visitors to Montana who have passed through, made expenditures, or have stayed overnight in during the 1993 winter season. Non-resident travel survey data was gathered for each month of '1993. Data from the months of January, February, and December were chosen to represent non-resident winter travelers. This profile describes only these out-of-state visitors and does not include visitors at who are residents of Montana. Characteristics of out-of-state visitors are presented along with comparison to statewide visitors. Only visitors traveling in private vehicles on highways are included in these estimates. Visitors traveling by bus or plane or with charter groups are not included. Background of the Study Jusnn/iijrm, Nsnc'y LeeMermng. m i i iie a i A. Data for this profile were analyzed from the 1993 Montana Travel Survey Database. Non-residents traveling by highway and air^ were sampled. Highway travelers were contacted at 19 interstate and primary highway points, and service stations in West Yellow'Stone and in the seven largest Montana cities (Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Fails, Helena, Kalispell, and ). These entry and pass-by locations account for better than 80% of Montana's non-resident highway traffic. Visitors contacted were asked to complete a diary questionnaire during their trip and return it by mail. Participants recorded information about their trip to Montana including: demographics, travel characteristics, recreation activities, length of stay, and one day of expenditures. Of the 1732 questionnaires distributed, 741 were returned for a 42% response rate. Of the questionnaires returned, 214 represent travelers by. sample she for visiiors traveling by air was m i large mough for staslstlcal rmatysis. This group 1$ exciujed from the report

3 Page 2 This profile has the following limitations: Study Limitations Non-Resident Travelers at 1. The data represent Montana trip characteristics of nonresident travelers by and may not represent trip characteristics of non-resident travelers during a stay in. 2. The data reflect only those groups traveling in non-commercial vehicles on Montana's highways and do not include other travel methods. 3. The data reflect only those who responded to the questionnaire; data regarding nonrespondents' travel patterns are not known. 4. This report summarizes the characteristics of a small portion of travelers who have entered, purposefully or not, and may not reflect the population of all non-resident travelers to. 5. These data are specific to non-resident traveler characteristics and do not reflect resident visitors to. 6. The data shown reflect the responses as reported by the visitors. It is assumed that those responses reflect actual behavior. Response validity was increased by asking visitors to complete the diary questionnaire as they visited Montana. Visitors at were on Travel Group Profile the average traveling with approximately two people per Adult Age (mean) 45 Years vehicle. About one out of every four vehicles contained Group Size (mean) 2.2 children. Many of the travelers Adult Males 1.1 were middle-aged and main Adult Females.8 tained professional, managerial, Children.3 or sales occupations. Most of the other travelers at were retirees. The most common reported income was Percent of Travelers with a Household Income of $60,000 or More 31% between $30,000 and $40,000. Less than 1/5 of the travelers during the winter season were here for vacation as a primary purpose. This perhaps explains the high percentage of visitors who have previously been to Montana. Rather than a primary vacation trip, many were simply passing through, visit ing friends and family, or wen on a business trip. Percent of Respondents Who Have at Least a College Education 34% Nights Spent in Montana (mean) 2.9 Daily Group Expenditure in Montana (mean) $95 Percent of Visitors Who Have Been to Montana Previously Percent of Visitors Who Will Return to Montana Within Two Years 96% 98%

4 Winter 1993 Page 3 Travel Group Type through Family sa% ffmnds &. Family 7% Friends 5% Alone 27% Business Assoc. 3% Most visitors were traveling with family members. However, one out of every four traveled alone. Retail Sales 26% Types of Traveler Expenditures R estayrani/ Bar 17% Misc. Services 5% Hotel 22% Groceries S% Non-resident winter travelers at spent about $95 per group per day in Montana. Visitors spent almost 4 days (3 nights) per trip; thus the average total trip expenditure per group was about $368. Retail sales accounted for $25 daily, followed by gasoline at $24, accommodations at $21, restaurants/bars at $16, and groceries and miscellaneous at $5 each.

5 Page 4 Non-Resident Travelers at of Residence of Travel Group 3% Many of the travelers to Montana were from surrounding states. The largest proportion were from Washington. The remaining top places of visitor residence were the next closest states and provinces to our border, including Saskatchewan and Alberta. Location of Entry Into Montana Nearly 3/4 of the highway travelers at entered Montana from Idaho. Four out of the five interstate highway entrances accounted for nearly 90% of all non-resident travel group traffic at Idaho 62% 1-15 at Idaho 9% 1-90 at Wyoming 8% 1-94 atn. Dakota 8% HW 12 at Idaho 3% HW 200 at N. Dakota 2% HW 23 at N. Dakota 1% HW 241 at Saskatchewan 1% Others at < 2% each 19% Location of Exit from Montana 1-90 at Idaho 43% 1-90 at Wyoming 13% 1-94 at N. Dakota 12% 1-15 at Idaho 10% HW 212 at Wyoming 3% HW 12 at Idaho 2% HW 87 at Idaho 2% Others at < 2% each 12%

6 Winter 1993 Page 5 Purposes of Trip to Montana 45% 4 ^ E f i S t a ' p p a p 3 30%H I I ; _f i "I If ' 1 L I ' S% %J I 2 5 Note: Percentages add to greater than 100% because o f multiple responses. Primary Purpose for Trip to Montana Many winter visitors to Montana were passing through, visiting friends & family, or were here for business reasons. Even though only 1/5 of the visitors listed vacation as the primary purpose for their trip to Montana, more than twice as many included vacation as part of their overall trip. Othar Vacation 18% Passing Thru 39% V isit Frionds & Family 23% Convention 1% Bysinoss 16%

7 Page 6 Non-Resident Travelers at Attractions for Vacationers to Montana 40%' 2 0 %- 2 4 % 0%< 10% The majority of vacationing travelers were in Montana because of scenic attraction. In fact, 1/3 of the vacationers traveled for the scenery as their primary attraction. Though wildlife viewing as a primary attraction was low in the winter, half of our vacationers watched for wildlife while traveling in Montana. Note: Percentages add to greater than 100% because of muliipie responses. Primary Attractions for Vacationers to Montana cu mmm viewing 7% Scenery 37% Special Eveati 11% Snowmoblling 13% Skiing 24% Olher 5% Historic Sites 3%

8 Winter 1993 Page? Recreation Activity Participation in Montana Shopping 38% Visiting Friends & Family 34% Pleasure Driving 29% Wildlife Viewing 29% Gambling 13% Visiting Yellowstone National Park 10% Nature Photography 10% Downhill Skiing 9% Snowmobiling 9% Visiting Historic Sites 8% Visiting Museums 7% Visiting a National Forest 5% Cross-Country Skiing 4% Sledding 3% Traveling Historic Trails 3% Visiting Glacier National Park 3% Attending Special Event, Festival 2% Wildland Dayhiking 2% Nature Study 2% Visiting Other National Park Area 2% Skating/Hockey 2% Picnicking 1% Visiting a Park 1% Attending a Sporting Event 1% Snowboarding 1% Ice-Fishing 1% Winter visitors at participated in diverse activities while in Montana. It is important to note that those activities with 2% or less participation are represented by only a few people in the sample. These activities are listed only to help identify all travel-related activities that occurred among visitors to Montana. No Recreation Participation 17%

9 Page 8 Non-Resident Travelers at = = = TVavel Group Profile Comparisons Traveler and Travel Group Characteristics Adult Age (mean) Group Size (mean) Adult Males Adult Females Children Percent of Travelers with a Household Income of $60,000 or More Percent of Respondents Who Have at Least a College Education Nights Spent in Montana (mean) Daily Group Expenditure (mean) Percent of Visitors Who Have Been to Montana Previously Percent of Visitors Who Will Return to Montana Within Two Years 45 Years % 34% Years A % 2.7 $105

10 Winter 1993 Page 9 Comparisons of Top Five Top Five s of Residence; 1/5 of the winter visitors to Montana at the statewide level Washington 41% Alberta 20% are Canadian. It is interesting Idaho 13% Washington 19% to note, however, that these North Dakota 6% Idaho 8% visitors are not predominant Wyoming 5% Minnesota 7% among visitors to Montana at Minnesota 4% North Dakota 7%. Top Five Entry Points into Montana: Idaho 62% Idaho 28% Idaho 9% 1-15-Alberta 17% Wyoming 8% Idaho 13% North Dakota 8% North Dakota 11% HW 12-Idaho 3% HW 93 British Col 9% Top Five Counties of Overnight Stay: Gallatin 22% Gallatin 34% Hathead 19% Flathead 18% 16% Yellowstone 11% Yellowstone 10% 7% Park 5% Cascade 7% Top Five Winter Recreation Activities in Montana: Shopping 38% Shopping 41% Visit Friends/Family 34% Pleasure Driving 26% Pleasure Driving 29% Wildlife Viewing 25% Wildlife Viewing 29% Visit Friends/Family 25% Gambling 13% Gambling 18%

11 Page 10 Non-Resident Travelers at Comparisons with wide Data Primary Trip Purpose; When compared to the visitor: around the state, travelers at were visiting friends and family more often and were less likely to be on a primary vacation trip. Passing through remained the highest reason for entering Montana for visitors in each category. Passing Through Visit Friends & Family Vacation Business Convention/Meeting Shopping 39% 23% 18% 16% 1% <1% 31% 18% 25% 16% 1% 6% Other 3% 3% Primary Vacation Attraction; Scenery and winter sports were each consistent primary vaca Scenery/Landscape 36% 25% tion attractions for all visitors. Skiing 24% 27% However, visitors at Snowmobiling 13% 25% were more apt to be attracted Special Events 11% 7% by scenery or landscape, while Wildlife Viewing 7% 5% the average statewide visitors Historic Places 3% 2% elsewhere were more apt to be Camping <1% 1% attracted to Montana by snowmobiling. Other Opportunities 5% 8% Travel Group Type; Alone 27% 23% Family 58% 56% Friends & Family 7% 9% Friends 5% 10% Business Associates 3% 2% Club or Group <1% <1%